Mexican National Lightweight Championship
The Mexican National Lightweight Championship (Campeonato Nacional de Peso Ligero in Spanish) is a Mexican professional wrestling singles championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. ("the Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission" in Spanish). Although the Commission sanctions the title, it does not promote the events in which the title is defended. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is not won legitimately; it is instead won via a scripted ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. The official definition of the lightweight weight class in Mexico is between 63 kg (139 lb) and 70 kg (150 lb), but the weight limits for the different classes are not always strictly enforced. Since the title was brought back after being inactive for approximately four years it has been contested for in the Mini-Estrellas division exclusively. All title matches take place under two out of three falls rules as is tradition in Mexico.
Mini Damián 666 one of 24 competitors in the 2008 tournament.
Último Dragóncito one of 12 competitors in the 2013 tournament.
Pierrothito (in blue), the 48th champion and the first Mini-Estrella to hold the championship.
The Mexican National Lightweight Championship was created in 1934, making it one of the oldest wrestling championships still active today. Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spanish for World Wrestling Council) has the promotional control of the championship while the Commission only serves to approve the champions and supervise championship matches. Jack O'Brien was recognized as the first champion in 1934, after winning a tournament sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. and promoted by CMLL. The championship has been vacated on a number of occasions, most notably four times because the champion moved up a weight class, once because the champion was not a Mexican citizen and once because the reigning champion, Guerrero Samurai, was killed in a car accident.
Futuro is the current Mexican National Lightweight Champion, having won it on July 30, 2023. He is the 51st overall champion and the 41st person to hold the title. Rodolfo Ruiz and Taro are tied for the most reigns as champion, with three in total; Mishima Ota has the shortest reign, at 1 day. Black Shadow holds the record for the longest individual reign, at over 1,901 days, while Juan Diaz held the championship 1,979 days divided over two reigns.
Championship tournaments
2008 Mexican National Lightweight Tournament
In 2008 the Mexican National Lightweight Championship was reintroduced after being vacant since 2005. CMLL held two Torneo cibernetico elimination matches, one on September 9 and one on September 16 to determine the finalists. Pierrothito won the first torneo cibernetico by eliminating Pequeño Olimpico in the end. Mascarita Dorada won the second torneo cibernetico, eliminating Pequeño Black Warrior in the last fall. On September 23, 2009 Pierrothito defeated Mascarita Dorada to win the championship, becoming the first Mini-Estrella to win the Mexican National Lightweight Championship.
- Cibernetico – September 9, 2008
| # | Eliminated | Eliminated by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pequeño Lizmark | Mr. Aguilita |
| 2 | Pequeño Universo 2000 | Bracito de Oro |
| 3 | Mr. Aguilita | Niño de Acero |
| 4 | Bracito de Oro | Fire |
| 5 | Cosmico | Último Dragóncito |
| 6 | Fire | Shockercito |
| 7 | Niño de Acero | Pierrothito |
| 8 | Último Dragoncito | Pequeño Olímpico |
| 9 | Mini Damián 666 | Pequeño Olímpico |
| 10 | Shockercito | Pierrothito |
| 11 | Pequeño Olímpico | Pierrothito |
| 12 | Pierrothito | Winner |
- Cibernetico – September 16, 2008
| # | Eliminated | Eliminated by |
|---|---|---|
| Bam Bam | Unknown | |
| 2 | Celestial | Unknown |
| 3 | Pequeño Ninja | Unknown |
| 4 | Pequeño Black Warrior | Unknown |
| 5 | Pequeño Halloween | Unknown |
| 6 | Fantasy | Unknown |
| 7 | Sombrita | Unknown |
| 8 | Electrico | Unknown |
| 9 | Pequeño Black Warrior | Mascarita Dorada |
| 10 | Mascarita Dorada | Winner |
2013 Mexican National Lightweight Tournament
On June 24, 2013 CMLL announced that the Mexican National Lightweight Championship had been vacated, without stating specifically why previous champion Pierrothito had been stripped of the championship. They also announced a 12-man tournament to determine a new champion that would start on July 30 with a six-man torneo cibernetico elimination match and a second six-man cibernetico the following week. The winners of each block faced off on August 13, 2013 to determine the new champion. The finals saw Eléctrico defeat Pequeño Nitro to win the championship.
- Cibernetico – July 30, 2013
| # | Eliminated | Eliminated by | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pequeño Halcón | Shockercito | 07:15 |
| 2 | Shockercito | Mercurio | 08:04 |
| 3 | Mercurio | Bam Bam | 10:58 |
| 4 | Bam Bam | Pequeño Violencia | 13:27 |
| 5 | Pequeño Violencia | Eléctrico | 16:24 |
| 6 | Eléctrico | Winner | 16:24 |
- Cibernetico – August 6, 2013
| # | Eliminated | Eliminated by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pequeño Universo 2000 | |
| X | Aéreo | Order of elimination not documented |
| X | Pequeño Black Warrior | Order of elimination not documented |
| X | Fantasy | Order of elimination not documented |
| 5 | Último Dragóncito | Pequeño Nitro |
| 6 | Pequeño Nitro | Winner |
Title history
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| N/A | Unknown information |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
| 1 | Jack O'Brien | June 28, 1934 | Live event | N/A | 1 | 1,096 | O'Brien defeated Hernandez in the final a tournament to become first champion. | |
| 2 | Dientes Hernandez | June 28, 1937 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 324 | ||
| 3 | Jack O'Brien | May 18, 1938 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 2 | 718 | ||
| 4 | Bobby Bonales | May 5, 1940 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 221 | ||
| 5 | Dientes Hernandez | December 12, 1940 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 2 | 666 | ||
| 6 | Adolfo Bonales | October 9, 1942 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 233 | ||
| 7 | Joe Silva | May 30, 1943 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 334 | ||
| 8 | Raul Romero | April 28, 1944 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 717 | ||
| 9 | Emilio Charles | April 15, 1946 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | |||
| — | Vacated | 1948 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated for undocumented reasons | |
| 10 | Joe Marin | August 5, 1948 | Live event | N/A | 1 | 74 | ||
| 11 | Black Shadow | October 18, 1948 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | |||
| — | Vacated | 1954 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated for undocumented reasons | |
| 12 | Juan Diaz | March 30, 1957 | Live event | N/A | 1 | 109 | Defeated Orquidea to win the vacant title | |
| 13 | Mishima Ota | July 17, 1957 | Live event | Mexicali, Baja California | 1 | 1 | ||
| — | Vacated | July 18, 1957 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated by the commission as Mishima Ota was not a Mexican citizen. | |
| 14 | Juan Diaz | May 17, 1958 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 2 | 1,979 | Defeated Jesus Garcia. | |
| 15 | Chanoc | October 17, 1963 | Live event | Acapulco, Guerrero | 1 | 110 | ||
| 16 | Ulises | February 4, 1964 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 129 | ||
| 17 | Chanoc | June 12, 1964 | Live event | Acapulco, Guerrero | 2 | 215 | ||
| 18 | Rodolfo Ruiz | January 13, 1965 | EMLL Carnaval de Campeones | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 206 | ||
| 19 | Alberto Muñoz | August 7, 1965 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 183 | ||
| — | Vacated | February 6, 1966 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated when Alberto Muñoz won the Mexican National Welterweight Championship. | |
| 20 | Rolando Costa | April 3, 1966 | Live event | N/A | 1 | 28 | ||
| 21 | Raul Rojas | May 1, 1966 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 494 | ||
| 22 | Raul Guerrero | September 7, 1967 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 348 | ||
| 23 | Estrella Blanca | August 20, 1968 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 396 | ||
| 24 | Rodolfo Ruiz | September 20, 1969 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 2 | 690 | ||
| 25 | Estrella Blanca | August 11, 1971 | Live event | Acapulco, Guerrero | 2 | 974 | ||
| 26 | Tauro | April 11, 1973 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 2 | 647 | ||
| 27 | Dardo Aguilar | January 18, 1975 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 134 | ||
| 28 | Tauro | June 1, 1975 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 3 | 517 | ||
| 29 | Flama Azul | October 30, 1976 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 162 | ||
| 30 | Américo Rocca | April 10, 1977 | Live event | Monterrey, Nuevo León | 1 | 82 | ||
| 31 | Flama Azul | July 1, 1977 | Live event | Acapulco, Guerrero | 2 | 82 | ||
| 32 | Mario Valenzuela | September 21, 1977 | Live event | Acapulco, Guerrero | 1 | 343 | ||
| 33 | Talismán | August 30, 1978 | Live event | Acapulco, Guerrero | 1 | 221 | ||
| 34 | Rodolfo Ruiz | April 8, 1979 | Live event | Cuernavaca, Morelos | 3 | 431 | ||
| 35 | Chamaco Valaguez | June 12, 1980 | Live event | N/A | 1 | |||
| — | Vacated | February 1982 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated when Chamaco Valaguez moved up a weight class. | |
| 36 | Aristotle | May 2, 1982 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | Defeated Negro Casas in a tournament final | ||
| — | Vacated | July 1983 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated when Aristotle moved up a weight class. | |
| 37 | Fuerza Guerrera | November 6, 1983 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | Defeated Aguila Venezolana in tournament final. | ||
| — | Vacated | May 1984 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated when Fuerza Guerrera moved up a weight class. | |
| 38 | El Modulo | August 18, 1984 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 211 | Won a tournament. | |
| 39 | Pegasso I | March 17, 1985 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 118 | ||
| 40 | El Khalifa | July 13, 1985 | Live event | Puebla, Puebla | 1 | 277 | ||
| 41 | Guerrero Samurai | April 16, 1986 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 480 | ||
| 42 | El Pantera II | August 9, 1987 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 181 | ||
| 43 | Guerrero Samurai | February 6, 1988 | Live event | Xochimilco, D.F. | 2 | 1,022 | ||
| — | Vacated | November 24, 1990 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated after Guerrero Samurai died in an automobile accident. | |
| 44 | Flash | July 14, 1991 | Live event | Guadalajara, Jalisco | 1 | Defeated Guerrero Samurai II; | ||
| — | Vacated | 1993 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated for unknown reasons | |
| 45 | Damiancito el Guerrero/Virus | May 7, 1998 | Live event | Guadalajara, Jalisco | 1 | 937 | Defeated El Oriental in a tournament final. Later changed ring name to Virus. | |
| 46 | Ricky Marvin | November 29, 2000 | Live event | Acapulco, Guerrero | 1 | 369 | Also won the CMLL Japan Super Lightweight Championship | |
| 47 | Loco Max | December 3, 2001 | Live event | Puebla, Puebla | 1 | |||
| — | Vacated | February 2005 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated for undocumented reasons. | |
| 48 | Pierrothito | September 23, 2008 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 1,765 | Defeated Mascarita Dorada in tournament final. | |
| — | Vacated | July 24, 2013 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated for unspecified reasons. | |
| 49 | Eléctrico | August 13, 2013 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 3,042 | Defeated Pequeño Nitro in tournament final. | |
| 50 | Panterita del Ring Jr. | December 11, 2021 | Sábado de Lucha | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 529 | ||
| — | Vacated | May 24, 2023 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated when Panterita moved up a weight class. | |
| 51 | Futuro | July 30, 2023 | Live event | Mexico City, D.F. | 1 | 342+ | ||
Combined reigns
- Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| † | Indicates the current champion |
| ¤ | The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. |
| + | Indicates that the number of days held by this individual changes every day. |
| Rank | Wrestler | # of reigns | Combined days | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eléctrico | 1 | 3,042 | |
| 2 | Juan Diaz | 2 | 1,979 | |
| 3 | Black Shadow | 1 | 1,901¤ | |
| 4 | Jack O'Brien | 2 | 1,814 | |
| 5 | Pierrothito | 1 | 1,765 | |
| 6 | Guerrero Samuari | 2 | 1,502 | |
| 7 | Estrella Blanca | 2 | 1,371 | |
| 8 | Rodolfo Ruiz | 3 | 1,327 | |
| 9 | Tauro | 2 | 1,164 | |
| 10 | Loco Max | 1 | 1,156¤ | |
| 11 | Damiancito El Guerrero/Virus | 1 | 937 | |
| 12 | Raul Romero | 1 | 717 | |
| 13 | Dientes Hernandez | 2 | 666 | |
| 14 | Emilio Charles | 1 | 629¤ | |
| 15 | Chamaco Valaguez | 1 | 599¤ | |
| 16 | Flash | 1 | 537¤ | |
| 17 | Panterita del Ring Jr. | 1 | 529 | |
| 18 | Raul Rojas | 1 | 494 | |
| 19 | Aristotle | 1 | 425¤ | |
| 20 | Ricky Marvin | 1 | 369 | |
| 21 | Raul Guerrero | 1 | 348 | |
| 22 | Mario Valenzuela | 1 | 343 | |
| 23 | Chanoc | 2 | 325 | |
| 24 | Joe Silva | 1 | 324 | |
| 25 | El Khalifa | 1 | 277 | |
| 26 | Flama Azul | 2 | 244 | |
| 27 | Adolfo Bonales | 1 | 233 | |
| 28 | Bobby Bonales | 1 | 221 | |
| El Talisman | 1 | 221 | ||
| 29 | El Modulo | 1 | 211 | |
| 30 | Alberto Muñoz | 1 | 183 | |
| 31 | El Pantera II | 1 | 181 | |
| 32 | Fuerza Guerrera | 1 | 177¤ | |
| 33 | Dardo Aguilar | 1 | 134 | |
| 34 | Ulises | 1 | 129 | |
| 35 | Pegasso I | 1 | 118 | |
| 36 | Américo Rocca | 1 | 82 | |
| 37 | Joe Marin | 1 | 74 | |
| 38 | Rolando Costa | 1 | 28 | |
| 39 | Mishima Ota | 1 | 1 |
Footnotes
- ^ One example of this is Mephisto once holding the NWA World Welterweight Championship, a belt with a 78 kg (172 lb) upper limit, despite weighing 90 kg (200 lb).
- ^ In this statement, "control" refers to the everyday use of the title, determining which storylines the title is being used in, who gets to challenge for the title and how to use it in a public relations sense.
- ^ At the time CMLL was known as Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), name changed in 1992
- ^ The exact date on which the title was vacated is not known, which means the title reign lasted between 626 and 842 days.
- ^ The exact date on which the title was vacated is not known, which means the title reign lasted between 1,901 and 2,265 days.
- ^ The exact date on which the title was vacated is not known, which means the title reign lasted between 599 and 626 days.
- ^ The exact date on which the title was vacated is not known, which means the title reign lasted between 425 and 455 days.
- ^ The exact date on which the title was vacated is not known, which means the title reign lasted between 177 and 207 days.
- ^ The exact date on which the title was vacated is not known, which means the title reign lasted between 537 and 901 days.
- ^ The exact date on which the title was vacated is not known, which means the title reign lasted between 1,156 and 1,183 days.